Reckoning
by steelcrash
Summary: A message from Optimus Prime promised sanctuary on Earth, but Ultra Magnus and his crew find it's nothing like what they were hoping. Post "Age of Extinction."
1. Chapter 1

Reckoning

Chapter 1—Contact

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

Arms crossed, field neutral, Ultra Magnus stood, silent, staring at the main screen on the bridge of the _Eclipse_, considering the world hanging in the void. Blue oceans and white clouds broken by the expanses of land. Any other time, the mech would've taken time to ponder its beauty. Now, he only wanted answers.

Behind him, he heard Prowl exvent, trying to get his attention. Chromia glared at the former Autobot second in command, but Prowl ignored it.

"Hot Rod keeps comming. He's being rather insistent he needs to talk to you," Prowl said.

"Open the transmission," Magnus said.

"We're bringing you a present. Taking the ship was easy. Fighting off the squishees, not so much. They were uh, kind of insistent the ship was theirs, but we took it with a minimum of casualties.," Hot Rod said.

Magnus twitched in annoyance at the comm from the younger mech. Pit-spawned, thrice damned sparklings.

"What casualties?" Magnus asked.

"Singed a few of the squishees," Hot Rod said. "Nobody's dead. Got a few customers for First Aid, though. Anything else?"

"Get here as soon as you can," Magnus said. "Prowl, cut the transmission."

He did as commanded. "These humans now know there are more of us," Prowl said. "What next?"

"I'm going down there," Magnus said.

"I'll accompany you," Prowl said.

"No. You're needed here," Magnus said. "I need to know someone responsible is taking care of things in my absence."

Another look exchanged between Chromia and Prowl, this time of exasperation.

"Prowl, you're in charge until Elita-1 returns," Magnus said.

"You're just gonna go down there, unannounced?"

At the sound of another voice, Magnus turned around.

"It's worked before," Magnus said. "And these beings need to be reminded of who and what they're dealing with."

Wheeljack rolled his optics at his stubborn mate.

"Yeah, so popping down there unannounced, without backup, brilliant idea, Magnus," Wheeljack said.

Ultra Magnus' field flared with annoyance, and more than one bot on the bridge aimed frowns his way. They were all tense enough without the mech in charge making it worse.

"Haven't you seen the communications from the planet these past few days?" Magnus said.

"We all have," Wheeljack said. "The Cons trashed another of their cities, and Prime and company kicked aft."

Monitoring news feeds and other communications from the planet below had not been a pleasant experience for anyone. Considering the news about what happened to several of the Autobots taking refuge on the planet below. Offered sanctuary, betrayed, and hunted by the animals that were supposed to be their allies. Who now had Cybertronian technology in their hands, and were happily flaunting it for all to see.

Well, Magnus had a job to do, and he wasn't going to put it off. He was itching to get down to the surface, collect whatever Autobots were left, clean up the mess the Decepticons made, and leave. If he could convince Optimus. Possibly his twin wouldn't need much convincing. However, multiple attempts at communicating with Optimus were unsuccessful. Bumblebee was the only mech they'd managed to reach. He kept telling Magnus to wait.

"Calm down," Wheeljack muttered. "Bee's down there. Prime's probably busy. You know how he is. Besides, we've got another ship to deal with."

"You, Brainstorm and Perceptor can start your work as soon as they arrive," Magnus said.

"Still slagged off about how Elita just made the decision without asking you?" Wheeljack asked.

"She outranks me," Magnus said.

"That may be, but she's been deferring to you, and you know it. Plus you were taking too long to make a decision, so she made it for you," Wheeljack said. "It was the right choice. We couldn't leave that ship in their hands."

Wheeljack was correct. Leaving the long-lost Knights Temenos in the hands of the organics was not a good idea. Getting it back at all was a miracle. Or sheer dumb luck.

Either way, it was back in Autobot hands, thanks to Elita-1 and the others. Magnus was going to have a long talk with the femme when she returned. Enflaming the combined egos and bravado of Hot Rod and Springer by encouraging them, and then supporting them was not what he called a wise idea. Then the femme went with them to steal back the ship from the humans. Hot Rod no doubt, assumed command. Springer going along as always. One or the other was always in charge when mischief was afoot. Kup going with them to keep them from getting killed, or worse. Blurr, Sunstreaker, Brainstorm and Moonracer also went along.

Their egos, and the ship he could deal with. Optimus' reluctance to communicate with him, not so much. He could feel him—distant, but he wouldn't answer. Stubborn aft-head. Always had been. Too rash, too caring. Both qualities part of what made him Optimus. And they had been apart too long.

"I'm not waiting any longer," Magnus said. "Put me down at Bumblebee's location."

88888

Cade Yeager sat in the doorway of the Airstream trailer he and Tessa were calling home. The kid was at school, trying to finish up before graduation. The bots were out sunning themselves in the field in front of the house, talking among themselves. The fact they were all back in Texas so fast was a relief. It was a wonder what a little money and fast-talking could do.

Joshua Joyce was paying to get the place fixed up, and the American government also stepped in, helping move things along swiftly. Plus they were kissing his ass as a way of trying to kiss Autobot aft. One tiny way of trying to make up for Harold Attinger's actions.

An investigation was under way, fingers were being pointed, and unlike Attinger's proclamation that no one would care about what happened to the Autobots. The outrage was just getting started, but the bots had been formally granted amnesty and no amount of apologies would make up for what happened.

And so far, things were all right. Until a shaft of light appeared in the field, and something was left in its place. Too stunned to run, Cade stood, jaw dropping, thinking at first it was Optimus. The form was almost identical in height and build, but the colors were different. The mech was white, blue and grey, holding a giant hammer in one hand.

Bumblebee was already on his feet in front of the big mech, and the others followed. Cade walked over, curious. He stopped by Bumblebee, leaning against the scout's leg.

"It's good to see you all," Magnus said, sparing the human a glance. An interesting development, and a story he wanted to hear. "But I'm not here to exchange pleasantries. Where is Optimus? We have much to discuss."

None of them said anything. Hound gnawed on a shell casing, arms crossed, staring at the ground. The unsubtle look exchanged between Crosshairs and Drift and the flare of panic from Bumblebee's energy field gave Magnus hope it was just uneasiness on their part. No, he was not that lucky.

"Where is Optimus hiding?" Magnus asked.

"He's not here," Crosshairs said.

"Then when will he return?"

"Hard sayin'," he replied.

"Bumblebee. . ." Magnus said, knowing the scout would cave. Or not.

"He's gone," Hound said. "As in not here. Gone off the planet looking for the creators. Lockdown fed him some line about a bounty on his head, and the creators were the reason why."

Magnus slammed the butt of his hammer into the ground, and he let his energy field flare with his anger and frustration.

"You just let him leave," Magnus said. "He went off, on his own, to face the Quintessons? And you were all right with this?"

"Well, he was very determined," Crosshairs offered. "The upside to all this is Lockdown is dead and we've got some rights now."

"Who terminated Lockdown?" Magnus asked.

"Optimus," Crosshairs said. "Who else? Well, with a little assistance."

"A lot of assistance," Cade added.

"Excuse me, why are you here, and what do you think you have to offer, human?" Magnus said.

"I'm Cade Yeager," he said. "Autobot ally. You're standing on _my_ land. And you can't just bust in here demanding answers when I don't even know who you are and what the hell you want with Optimus."

Magnus went down on one knee. "Cade Yeager, I am Ultra Magnus, chief enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and the twin of Optimus Prime."

Cade stood his ground. "Bee, is he telling the truth?"

"Yes," Bumblebee said.

"OK," Cade muttered. "So. . .why didn't you get here before now? We could've used your help. And what's a Quint whatever?"

"Let me contact my ship," Magnus said. "I believe the others will want to hear whatever you have to say, and I will in turn explain."

"Well, there goes the rest of the day," Hound said.

Drift elbowed him, but he knew it was the truth. Their moment of peace was over.


	2. Chapter 2

Reckoning

Chapter 2—Unforeseen

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

Cade listened as the others all told the big mech their version of recent events, and was finally allowed his own turn. Then he was ordered by Ultra Magnus to show him the weapons he'd acquired on the Knight ship.

"The government's been demanding I turn them over, but considering, they're staying here," Cade said. "If you want them. . ."

"You can keep the weapons. The ship recognized your need, and you have proven your worth," Magnus said. "Every other bit of technology and data your kind has will be turned over to us once a suitable deadline has been negotiated. If not, other avenues will have to be explored. But everything will be returned. I will, of course, need a little time to be acquainted with the proper authorities. A deadline will be set once I have a better understanding of your technology and have an estimate of just how long it will take for everything to be given back, or destroyed."

"You really expect them to just give it up?" Cade asked.

"It is not an expectation," Magnus said. "It will happen, regardless. Willingly or not, it will happen."

"Why are you so confident?" Cade said.

"I am the enforcer of the Tyrest Accord," Magnus said. "The document governs the control of Cybertronian technology, and forbids it from being in the possession of alien species."

"Good luck with that," Cade muttered.

"You don't think your government will comply?" Magnus asked.

"I don't know," Cade said. "But the fact Megatron, or Galvatron, is still out there, and we'll need help running him to ground, maybe they would trade?"

"A viable solution to conflict over our technology," Magnus said. "Cade Yeager, would you be willing to be our liaison with your people?"

"Uh, I don't think I'm the guy you want," Cade said.

"You and your offspring willingly laid your lives on the line for my brother and others of my kind without any expectation of compensation," Magnus said. "You are the right being for this. For now, I must return to my ship. I will come back later."

With that, Magnus commed Prowl, who had him bounced back to the _Eclipse_. Months of hope and anticipation crushed with only a few words. Get to Earth. Protect Optimus. Not so easy to do _when he wasn't there. _His aft-headed twin made a brash decision without thinking it through. Putting the safety of others before himself was so typically Optimus. Well, Lockdown was dead, so the bounty hunter was no longer a problem. Other issues were going to need solving, issues Magnus was not equipped to deal with. He'd face them in the morning, and hopefully Elita and the others would be back.

A more immediate problem would be facing Wheeljack and keeping Prowl off his back. And of course, his mate was waiting in their quarters, tinkering with what looked like a grenade.

"I hope that isn't what I think it is," Magnus said, setting his hammer down.

"One of the prototypes I've been developing," Wheeljack said. "Don't worry, it's just the housing. The ordnance is in the armory."

"You know working on anything outside of the lab is not allowed," Magnus said.

"When has that ever stopped me?" Wheeljack asked, grinning.

"Never," Magnus said, sitting down beside the engineer.

"How'd it go?" Wheeljack asked. "You've been shutting me out so. . ."

The flare of Magnus' field made Wheeljack flinch.

"Easy," Wheeljack said. "Can't be that bad, can it?"

"Much worse, actually," Magnus said. "Optimus is gone."

"Gone? Where?" Wheeljack said.

"Off-world," Magnus replied. "The Quintessons placed a bounty on Optimus, and naturally, Lockdown came calling, and Optimus left to protect the others."

"He went looking for them? Is he stupid?" A bad choice of words.

"Optimus can be brash. Perhaps there are extenuating circumstances of which I'm yet unaware," Magnus said.

"I'm sorry, Mags," Wheeljack said, pulling the bigger mech close.

"Bumblebee told me his version of events, and so have the others," Magnus added. "They've taken refuge with a human ally."

"And?" Wheeljack asked.

"I told them I'd return later," Magnus said.

"That's it?"

"Yes," Magnus said.

88888

Tessa Yeager knew something was up the minute she stepped inside the trailer. Her father wasn't tinkering with anything. Instead, he was lounging on the couch, staring up at the large flatscreen TV Joshua Joyce insisted they needed. And he was watching the news. Her dad did not watch the news.

"Hey Dad," she said, setting down her bag and kicking off her shoes. "What's for supper?"

"Shh, honey, can't you see I'm watching the news?" he said, waving her off.

"Why?"

Cade frowned, turning up the volume.

". . .and American and Chinese officials have confirmed the alien ship seen during the battle of Hong Kong has, in fact, been stolen from Chinese custody as of earlier today. . ."

"What?" Tessa snapped. "Are there more. . ."

"Sweetie, I wouldn't get worked up over nothing," Cade said.

"Nothing? NOTHING? It's probably the Decepticons, and there are only four Autobots left on the planet, with like, 50 Decepticons running loose, and you're not worried?" Tessa asked.

"Tessa, breathe," Cade said as his daughter flopped down beside him. "Honey, it's gonna be fine. I promise."

"I've heard that before," she said. "What's for supper? Leftovers? One of the state troopers said they'd escort us into town if we wanted to do that."

"We're not bothering the troopers," Cade said. The nice state troopers the state of Texas offered to keep people away from their place and provide a little privacy and protection. A couple of state troopers was better than members of the Texas Army National Guard after the first few days home. Luckily, the feds hadn't come knocking, but it was coming.

"Homework done?"

"All caught up," Tessa said. "I can take my finals when I'm ready."

"I'm sorry you missed graduation," Cade said.

Tessa shrugged. "Hey, I missed a ceremony, but I still get my diploma when I pass," she said. "Anyway, we got the Autobots out of the deal, so that's worth something, isn't it?"

"I broke my promise to your mother," Cade said.

"Promises are meant to be broken," Tessa said. "I think missing graduation is going to become a Yeager family tradition."

"Shane coming by tonight?"

"Of course," Tessa said, standing. "Why are you watching the news anyway? The bots tip you off about something?"

"Well, you knew Bee was keeping quiet about something," Cade said.

"Yeah," Tessa said. "So?"

"Things around here are going to get more interesting, and if the feds show up, don't be surprised," Cade said.

"Dad. . ."

"Tessie, dinner," Cade said. "Burgers and a salad? That sound good?"

The girl sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sure," she said. Interesting? She hoped her dad was wrong.

88888


	3. Chapter 3

Reckoning

Chapter 3 – Fulmination

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

The angry pounding on the door was the first sign something was wrong. Peeking out the window, the second was the black SUVs parked on the lawn. Armed feds swarming under the ship parked over the pasture was the third. Wait. Ship? _Not_ the Knight ship.

Cade yanked a shirt down over his head, opening the door. "Tess, stay here," Cade he, stepping outside. Of course, Tessa followed, pajamas and all.

A woman in a business suit was staring up at him, not looking annoyed.

"Mr. Yeager, I presume?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Cade said. "Who are you?"

"Charlotte Mearing, former Director of National Intelligence," she said, holding out her hand.

"And?" Cade asked.

"We're here to talk to the Autobot in charge," she said.

"Get off my property," Cade said.

"You have no right. . ."

"I have every right," Cade snapped. "Get lost, or I get the bots on your tail, or I'll run you off myself."

"Threats will not work with me," she said.

"I don't like you," Cade said. "You know, a little courtesy goes a long way. Besides, you're the one who helped dismantle NEST and recommended Harold Attinger's appointment to the CIA. I did my reading. You are so not welcome here. Get lost."

"Uh Dad, that's not way to talk to somebody who knows the President," Tessa said.

"Thank you," Mearing said.

"Sure," Tessa said. "But he's right. I'd leave if I were you."

"We're not leaving until we get an explanation," Mearing said. "There is another Cybertronian ship in orbit around Earth, and we have no idea if they're friendly or not. They won't respond to our attempts at communication."

"Can't say I blame him," Cade said.

"Him? Wait, you've been in contact with them?" Mearing asked.

"Maybe," Cade replied. "Ma'am, it's barely 6 a.m. Come back in a few hours when everybody's had breakfast. And coffee. Or their morning energon. Then we can talk."

"Fine," Mearing said. "We'll be back this afternoon."

Cade and Tessa watched as the feds headed back to their vehicles, and didn't move until they were gone. Tessa followed her father back inside, and he threw himself down on the couch.

"Want to tell me what that was all about? Another ship? Why is it parked over our field? And why didn't the bots come out?" Tessa asked.

"That ship is Autobot," Cade said. "Their commander is Optimus' brother."

"How do you know that?" Tessa asked.

"He showed up yesterday afternoon," Cade said. "Scared the hell out of me. Beamed down just like in Star Trek, with this big-ass hammer like Thor. His name's Ultra Magnus. He seems like he's decent. A lot more uptight than Optimus, or maybe he's just under a lot of stress."

"When were you gonna tell me, Dad?" Tess asked, sitting down beside him.

"Well, you know now."

88888

A big-ass ship parked out in the pasture, and even more Autobots checking out the place. The National Guard was out in full force, and the state patrol was keeping back the spectators. Just another fun day at Casa Yeager.

Tessa leaned against Bumbleebee's leg, the two youngsters observing a meeting they probably shouldn't have been watching. Her father, the Autobots Ultra Magnus and Prowl and the woman from that morning, Charlotte Mearing, were having an unfriendly discussion. The woman kept making demands which Ultra Magnus refused. And the one called Prowl was quoting something called the Tyrest Accord while Mearing stamped her foot in frustration.

And Ultra Magnus rammed the butt of his hammer into the ground, and the sound brought them all to heel.

"Put down your weapons," Ultra Magnus said. "I am Ultra Magnus of Cybertron, Lord High Protector of Cybertron, chief enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and you are guilty."

"Guilty of what?" Mearing asked.

"You have no right to make any demands," Magnus said. "_You_ broke the treaty. _You_ let them desecrate the remains of the allies you allowed to be slaughtered," Magnus said. "Backward barbarian insects."

"Now wait just a minute," Mearing said. "And you can't just show up and start calling names and expecting us to bow down to you. That's what Sentinel Prime wanted. . ."

"Do not mention his name," Ultra Magnus said.

"Whatever," Mearing said. "Now, if you're willing to listen to reason. You need to move your ship away from the civilian population, where we can. . ."

"We're perfectly fine where we are, and I will not leave Cade Yeager. This human and his family are under my protection," Magnus said.

"Under what jurisdiction?"

"My authority as the enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, and my Prime," Magnus replied.

"Optimus Prime isn't here," Mearing said.

"I, as his brother, have the right to speak for the Prime," Magnus said.

"Then speak," Mearing said. "What is it you want, and what are these accords you keep mentioning?"

"It is the duty of myself and any remaining fellow enforcers to uphold the law that no Cybertronian technology should not fall into the hands of alien species. As that has occurred here on your Earth, any and all Cybertronian tech and data will returned to us. Failing that, it will be confiscated if you are uncooperative."

"You're threatening us?"

"You may take it that way as you wish, as a personal threat to yourself, human. I know who you are, and what you've done," Magnus said.

A nod was all it took for weapons to be leveled again on Magnus and the others, and Magnus pointed his hammer at Mearing.

"Magnus, calm down," Prowl said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I refuse to discuss this any further until a more reasonable individual is found," Magnus said. "Until then, you will leave Cade Yeager's property or we will force you from this place."

Mearing frowned, but common sense won out. She made the men stand down, and they made their way toward their vehicles.

"That was fun," Cade muttered.

"You humans have a strange sense of 'fun,'" Magnus said.

"It's called sarcasm, Magnus," Prowl offered.

"I know," Magnus said. "We're returning to the ship. Cade Yeager, if you require anything. . ."

"Just call me Cade, and gods, I need a beer," he said.


	4. Chapter 4

Reckoning

Chapter 4—Innominate

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

Knights Temenos, somewhere in Earth orbit

Kup sat in the captain's chair in the command center of the ship he once called home. Damn thing was in terrible shape. Fragging damn truth was so was he.

He finally had a few moments to himself, and he was finally coming to grips with the fact several of his oldest and dearest friends were gone. Ratchet and Ironhide deserved better. At least Jazz had died in battle. Data he wasn't supposed to know yet, but Prowl forwarded it to him over an old, unused frequency. Encrypted, of course. Magnus was keeping a lid on it until he had everyone together, and could tell them as a group.

Prowl also passed along even more interesting data regarding Sentinel Prime, information Ultra Magnus hadn't even bothered going through yet. Kup just hoped he was there when Magnus finally went over all the data. Finding out his sire had survived, only to be lost again was going to break Magnus' spark.

His, too, if he kept thinking about it, and the others. But he wasn't alone with his thoughts, as Hot Rod managed sneaking in without his notice.

"Don't get all maudlin on me, old-timer," Hot Rod said, punching him in the shoulder. "I could feel your energy field down the corridor. You're brodcasting."

"I'm not getting maudlin, lad," Kup said.

"Could've fooled me," Hot Rod said, taking the command chair as the ancient mech vacated it for him.

"Just thinking about 'Hide and the others is all," Kup said.

"Maudlin," Hot Rod said. "Seriously, though, I am sorry. I wish I could've met him, and Ratchet and the rest."

"Hopefully you'll get to meet Optimus, even if I have to steal a shuttle and bring him back myself," Kup said.

"I'll go with you," Hot Rod said.

Kup snorted. Of course Hot Rod would.

"What?" Hot Rod said.

"Nothing, lad," Kup said. "Have any good news to report?"

"Well, Blurr and Sunstreaker killed three more steeljaws, Perceptor got part of the med bay working and Elita's considering what we should do with what remains of the, uh, cargo," Hot Rod said.

Kup exvented. The prisoners left alive were a problem no one had managed to think about much, besides the few Cybertronians they found. Barricade, Thundercracker and Skywarp were grateful to be alive, and Smokescreen asked for a weapon the instant they found him. Red Alert was still in no shape to fight.

"Any word on engine status?"

"Still a mess," Hot Rod said.

"Of course," Kup said. "Anything else to add?"

"Nope," Hot Rod said.

Kup gave the younger mech a glance, and a holoscreen popped up, and he turned away, listening as Hot Rod argued with Perceptor. The flame-colored youngster was, Kup considered, the biggest indiscretion of _his_ life. Biggest, not worst. A regret of sorts, his burden to bear. His choice all those vorns ago. Chromia still had issues with it, but wasn't any of her damn business then or now. Probably "worst" on someone's list, like Chromia, but she didn't have all the necessary intel. She wouldn't. Ever.

And Hot Rod pulled him back to the present. The kid was getting good at keeping him focused. He'd have time to grieve later.

"I still can't believe this is the Knight ship," Hot Rod said.

"Better believe it, lad," Kup said. "Remember your history—Sentinel Prime used this ship for his expedition."

The door to the command center spiraled open, and Kup continued as Springer sat down at one of the terminals. "This ship was beautiful then, not corrupted like it is now. And the weapons it carries, according to legend, were forged by Solus Prime."

"Not that stuff again," Springer retorted. "All you're doing is putting ideas in Rodi's head, ideas that are gonna get him killed."

"Hey," Hot Rod said in protest, field flaring in annoyance.

Springer stood, grabbing Kup by his arm, dragging him from the command center and down the corridor. Kup tried twisting away, but the bigger mech held on tight.

"Whatever you're keeping from us, you better have a good reason," Springer said. "You've been on edge since the ship accepted Rodi."

Springer wasn't stupid. Not a cerebral mech, but he had his sire's pragmatic streak and Kup's own common sense. And he knew his history. A sire who was bodyguard to the current Prime, and a carrier who had served the Primes and Lord High Protector since the last Quintesson war. Springer wasn't a history buff like his carrier and younger sib, but he knew the significance of the moment none of them was talking about—Hot Rod being accepted by the ship.

The ship, which was the flagship of the legendary Knights of Cybertron. The knights left the planet before the war ever started, all because their leader, Dai Atlas, had a falling out with Sentinel Prime. Kup had served the Knights, though he was never chosen as one of their number.

Once the protectors of the Prime, the Knights were founded on the tenets of the Covenant of Primus. The last two Primes had been chosen from their ranks.

"You weren't too surprised when the damn thing accepted him," Springer said. "Why?"

"Kid's always had potential," Kup said. "Plus he was in need. Maybe that's all it was."

"Yeah," Springer said.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Kup asked.

Springer frowned, shoving Kup away.

"Hardly," he spat. "Rodi has a shiny new weapon, and job nobody else wants. My problem is the fact this damn ship is falling apart, the AI controlling it is fragging insane and the squishees on the planet beneath us want us dead."

Kup stepped back as Springer's field lashed out in anger and frustration, washing over him. The younger mech's optics flared white with his emotion.

"That's not all, is it, Springer?" Kup said.

Springer frowned, turning to walk away, but the smaller mech put a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around.

"If it's about Ironhide. . ."

"I barely remember him," Springer said. "He was my sire, and I'm sorry he's gone, but we've got work to do. Perceptor was going through the manifest, and he thinks he found a corridor that was sealed off. He was going to search for it by himself, and I have orders from Elita to go looking for him. You're coming with me."

Springer did walk off then, and Kup watched him for a few moments. His older creation was not taking well the stress of his current assignment, or the news about his sire. But Springer was right. There would be time to grieve later.

88888

Autobot Omega Sentinel Class heavy cruiser _Eclipse, _0730 local time

Ultra Magnus took the comm from the Knight ship in his hab suite. Wheeljack was already in the lab, and Primus, it was about time the strike team checked in. Magnus stifled a groan as a holoscreen rezzed up, and Sunstreaker appeared.

"We have a problem." Sunstreaker said.

"We" translated into him. His problem, unless it was a collective problem for the crew related to the antics and/or actions of a shortlist of mechs currently not on the _Eclipse_.

"Is anyone hurt? If so, how bad. . ." Magnus asked.

"Nobody's hurt," Sunstreaker said. "Maybe an ego or two, but not mine, so that's something. . ."

"Sunstreaker, what is going on?" Magnus asked. "Can you focus?"

"Elita said you needed to know, but she wanted to wait to fill you in, so this is us filling you in," Sunstreaker said. "And this is the good news. The ship recognized Hot Rod."

"WHAT?" Magnus snapped.

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too, but anyway, it's not so bad. Hardly a problem, really. The weapon he's got now's come in pretty handy," Sunstreaker said. "Never thought something as archaic as an energy bow would be so powerful or useful. Anyway, that's done, so on to the really important stuff. Like the ship. It's gonna take us a few days longer than anticipated to limp our way back. Percy and Brainstorm are working hard to get the engines up to something faster than a crawl. We just need one jump, and nav and comms are actually working, so that's one positive I can report."

"Is there anyone else I can talk to?" Magnus asked.

"Nope," Sunstreaker said. "Everybody else is busy."  
"With what?"

"One of two huge problems we're dealing with at the moment, and I've gotta go," he said, ending the conversation.


	5. Chapter 5

Reckoning

Chapter 5-Chance

Disclaimer: I don't own the Transformers. They officially belong to Hasbro and Takara. I'm taking them for a short spin.

Another day, another argument with the humans. Cade drank his morning coffee, sitting on the trailer steps, listening and watching as Charlotte Mearing became more belligerent as the seconds ticked by. Bumblebee stood by Cade, and they listened to the exchange.

"One of your kind brought weapons of mass destruction to our planet," Mearing said.

"The Decepticons brought space bridge pillars," Ultra Magnus replied. "And you gave them exactly what they wanted. We're almost done here. Once again, I'm going to ask you to cease and desist, and leave Cade Yeager's property. . ."

And the humans scattered as the hammer Ultra Magnus held slipped from his hand and he hit his knees, purging energon.

Bumblebee whistled in alarm.

"What the hell, Bee?" he said.

The scout shrugged, watching as the commander of the Wreckers stumbled to his feet, and disappeared in a shaft of light

Bumblebee left Cade, heading for the barn, leaving a confused human behind.

88888

The Autobots on the Knight ship were becoming more cautious. Perceptor's unsanctioned jaunt had indeed discovered a sealed corridor, and Kup figured only Primus knew what was down the corridor behind a sealed door.

The ship was big, and at one time, he'd been as familiar with it as he was his own frame. He knew it inside and out, and kept using his own memories of the ship and his obviously outdated map to compare it with the renovations done by Lockdown, and so far, there were no surprises. None until Perceptor's discovery.

Having served two expeditions on the ship, he knew were things were supposed to be, and guessed the closed off parts were done after the expeditions, and before it was stolen. The area had been marked on the original plans as a backup computer system and storage space. So far, all their attempts to scan what was behind the closed doors was unsuccessful, as the area was shielded and untouched by Lockdown. Kup wondered what they would find.

Something to deal with later. He wasn't daunted by the ship's size. The others were, and after the incident the night before involving Perceptor, his discovery and a pack of steeljaws, everyone was on edge. The scientist was all right, and they were patrolling in pairs now.

Kup shuddered. The steeljaws were Vile, deadly creatures, abominations created by the Quintessons. Better off dead, so they were  
hunting every last one. The bots had a betting pool going, seeing who  
could tally the most. A second pool had included unique and creative  
ways to kill them, but after Sunstreaker ended up having to go to  
Brainstorm for his injuries, Elita shut them down. Only the first  
betting pool was still going.  
Blurr, so far, had the most kills, followed by Kup's lads. No surprise  
there. They were efficient and were experienced with working together.  
Well, not like he gave them much choice when it came to working  
together in the beginning. They actually preferred it now. Good thing  
too, because not many regular Autobots had the tanks to deal with  
Wreckers.  
Speaking of Wreckers, the ancient mech was on his way to the command center, where Perceptor and Brainstorm were almost done running through the mainframe's code. Once they were done, they would try bringing the ship's AI back online.

Before they shut it down, it wasn't what Kup would call "sane." He was almost to his destination when an alarm went off, and dormant drones came to life, weapons bared.  
Kup ran, only to find his way blocked by more drones. But Hot Rod and Springer were right behind him, cutting through the drones. keeping them from the command center, opening a space big enough for Elita-1 to follow after Kup.

Once inside, Kup and Elita saw Perceptor and Brainstorm working swiftly to try and stop the self-destruct countdown. Glyphs flashed on the screens, and Kup called up a key pad, entering his old command overrides. And the countdown stopped. Dead silence for a few moments as the system rebooted.

"Query—ship in safe hands?" a voice asked.

"The ship is back in Autobot hands," Kup said. "You're safe."

"Autobot Kup?"

"Yeah, that's me," Kup said. "Temenos, what's the last thing you remember?"

Another round of silence before it. . .he, Kup corrected himself, replied.

"Lockdown hurt you," Kup said. "It's OK. You're safe, among friends. Whatever he did to you, we've got it fixed, I think."

He glanced at Brainstorm, who nodded.

"Yeah. Mostly. We can talk about what you remember later. Right now, we have bigger problems. Like the drones running around."

Before Kup could say another word, a pulse passed through the ship, killing the drones.

Kup sagged against the control panel, Elita collapsing beside him.

"That was fun," Elita said.

"Just like old times," Kup grinned, looking up as his sons joined them.

"Sure, old-timer," she said, grinning at Springer's slack-jawed stare, and Hot Rod's amusement.

"Stop gawkin' sparkling, and make yourself useful," Kup said as he stood, pulling Elita to her feet. "You know Lita and I go way back. Or do I need to tell you that story again?"

"I'll tell it," Elita said. "You leave out all the good parts."

"Not again," Springer muttered. Hot Rod smacked him in the back of the head.

"Well, as entertaining as that was, we need to get rid of those drones," Elita said.

"Or we can use them," Kup suggested. "Tememos, can you reactivate the drones and use them to help clean this place up?"

"Yes," he answered.

"One more problem solved," Elita said. "Brainstorm, Perceptor, now this is taken care of, can you see to the engines?"

"Yes ma'am," Perceptor said, dragging his companion away.

"No unsanctioned exploration. Stick to the engines. We'll deal with the really interesting stuff later," Elita said. "Hot Rod, Springer, go with them. Keep Brainstorm from doing anything he isn't supposed to, and keep Perceptor on task. They need to repair those engines, not work on preparing me a paper on how they work."

The two mechs followed the scientists out.

"I'll be glad when we can rejoin others," Elita said. "C'mon old-timer. Let's go see what trouble we can scare up together."

88888

Ultra Magnus was seriously considering all the reasons why he purged so violently, and none of them but a couple seemed truly viable. The most obvious he wasn't considering as an option. No. But only a trip to First Aid would settle him. So he headed for the med bay.

He didn't hesitate as he reached the doors. Confronting issues head on was always the best course of action. Magnus entered, and wasn't in the mood for Aid's pleasantries.

"I purged while talking with the humans, and I think something might be wrong," Magnus said, sitting down on a berth.

"Did you. . ."

"I took my morning ration of energon, so that's not the problem," Magnus said. "I don't think so, at least."

"Then what do you think is the matter?"

"Just scan me, please," Magnus said.

The medic complied, and minutes later, Magnus was dismissed from the med bay.

_Wheeljack, do you have a moment?_ Magnus asked through their bond.

_For you always. Where are you?_

_Quarters._ Magnus replied, letting himself into their quarters. He sat down, calling up the image the medic gave him. The holo rotated over his outstretched hand, and he didn't bother to shut it down as Wheeljack entered, and joined him.

The engineer studied the holo, noting it was a sparkling roughly two-thirds into its gestation.

"It's a sparkling," he said. "Who's sparked?"

"We are," Magnus said.

"How. . ." Wheeljack asked, sitting down to keep himself from falling over.

Magnus rolled his optics.

"I mean when?"

"Velocitron. After Blurr's farewell party. We were overenergized and I had to drag you back to the ship. You honestly don't remember?"

"I remember," Wheeljack said. "Parts of it."

"I'm never letting you on top again," Magnus muttered.

"Hey—that party was awesome. Almost as good as our bonding party," Wheeljack said.

Magnus snorted. Nothing would ever top that party.

"Nice memory and all, but that still doesn't explain how we're suddenly expecting a sparkling," Wheeljack said.

"Faulty inhibitor," Magnus said. "First Aid said he'll have to replace it after the emergence."

"So this kinda is my fault," Wheeljack said, sounding smug. "It looks like a mechling. Is it?"

"Yes," Magnus said.

Wheeljack squealed, pouncing his mate. "Mags, I'm so happy," he said. "This is great news."

Magnus wrapped his arms around the engineer, burying his face in his neck.

"But you're not excited, are you?" Wheeljack asked, pulling away.

"I haven't had time to process the news," Magnus said. "And the timing isn't the best."

"Timing? Who cares? It's a blessing," Wheeljack said. "At least Chromia and Elita's Salvo will have a playmate now."

"He has playmate in his sister," Magnus said.

"Who is suddenly too good to play with her baby brother," Wheeljack said. "Look, we'll get through this. Besides, we've kept putting this off, because it's never the right time. Looks like it's the right time now."

88888

The rest of the day was a fog for the commander of the Wreckers. He blazed through the required reading of sparkling care, and reported to First Aid for an injection of supplements, and made changes to the duty roster and went over reports. His last official matter for the day was the report he was expecting from the Knight ship. But he wasn't expecting Elita-1 to be the one to talk to him.

The femme appeared on the screen in his office.

"The ship isn't a problem anymore," Elita said.

"Good evening to you too, Elita," Magnus said.

The femme snorted. "It's been a long day," she said.

"What do you mean about the ship being a problem?" he asked.

The femme was suddenly staring at her feet. "I'll put in my report," she said.

"Elita. . ."

"No. It's not important right now. We've got the dark matter engines up and running again. As soon as the final system check is finished, we'll be there," Elita said.

"How long will that take?"

"It'll be done anytime," she said.

"Any other issues I need to know about? Has the ship bestowed weapons on anyone else?" Magnus said.

"Springer received a sword," Elita said.

"Primus," Magnus muttered.

"It doesn't have to mean anything," ELita said.

"You know what it means," Magnus said. "Prime and Protector."

"They're sibs," Elita said. "That's all."

Sure. That's all it meant.

"Just get here," Magnus said, ending the conversation.

88888

Cade was sitting on the couch, half watching a movie. Tessa sat beside him, reading. She'd been silent all evening after a tiff with Shane. Stupid kid, anyway.

"You missed the fun," Cade said.

"What happened now?"  
"Magnus puked all over the place this morning," Cade said.

"Eww," Tessa said. "Did he get Mearing?"  
"No. Unfortunately. He did scare the hell out of everyone, and the bots are freaked, Tess," Cade said.

"I would be too if I saw something that big puke all over the yard," Tessa said. "Is he OK?"

"I don't know. Haven't heard anything from the ship since Mags left," Cade said. "Talked to Bee, and he didn't offer anything useful."

"Is there any good news?" Tessa asked.

"The feds are sending someone new, who should be here tomorrow," Cade said. "Theodore Galloway. Bee seems relieved."

"Wasn't he the national security director during the thing in Egypt?" Tessa said.

"Yeah," Cade said. "The bots trust him, and I think they've got something unpleasant planned for Mearing."

"Let's hope so," Tessa said.

88888

Morning came, and with it, the Knights Temenos. The ship was anchored beside the Eclipse.

Ultra Magnus waited below the ship as a landing ramp extended. Elita-1 came down first.

"Thank PRimus you're back," Magnus said, hugging the femme.

"What did Arcee do this time?"

"She's a force to be reckoned with," Magnus said.

A nice way of saying her daughter was a hellion. Already.

"She wants off the ship," Magnus said. "I think some time planetside would do her good."

"You trust these humans?"

"I trust Cade and his family," Magnus said. "Not Mearing. I told them not to bother trying to communicate with us as long as she's part of their delegation. We requested Galloway again, and he's supposed to be here today."

"Has Prowl managed to uncover any information on the whereabouts of any of the NEST humans?"

"No," Magnus said. "I'm assuming the worst."

Perfect. But none of it answered what her oldest child tried this time.

"What did Arcee pull?"

"Ask Prowl," Magnus said. "He caught her. And he's currently watching Salvo. Elita, go see your family. I'll schedule a debriefing for tomorrow morning."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Go. It can wait," Magnus said.

88888

Prowl sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Eclipse, reading a data pad. Salvo rested happily in his arms, and the little mechling chirped, patting at Prowl's face. He smiled down at the sparkling.

"Mags is gonna blow when he sees you've got the bitlet here on the bridge. Or Chromia."

Springer. The spawn of Unicron, and the bane of Prowl's existence was back.

Prowl shrugged, and went back to running battle simluations in his head, and reading his data pad.

"Miss me, Prowlie?" Springer said, tweaking one of the mech's door wings, using the twins' nickname for him.

"Don't you have something useful to do?" Prowl asked, and he was saved when Elita-1 arrived.

She took Salvo away from the tactician. "Miss me love?" she asked, and Salvo chirred up at his carrier.

"That's my mechling," Elita said. "Where's your sister?"

She noticed the look passing between triple changer and tactician.

"What did she do this time?"

"Tried to sneak onto a shuttle," Prowl said. "I caught her."

"Of course," Elita said, exventing, and shoving an energon line absentmindedly into her son's waiting intake. "Did Chromia flip?"

"Of course," Prowl said. "You should have seen the fireworks."

"That bad?" Elita asked.

Prowl shrugged. "I'd take it up with her," he said.

Knowing a dismissal when she heard it, Elita dragged Springer away.

"Flirting with the tactician again?" Elita asked.

Springer tripped over a deck plating.

"What? No. Are you crazy?" And he realized he was questioning the sanity of the femme commander.

"Easy. Go get some rest. Primus knows we all need it," she said.

88888


End file.
